Letter: Rep. Tobia off-base on immigrant tuition bill

6:19 PM,
Mar. 21, 2014

John Tobia. For Florida Today.

Written by

Susan Zweig
Merritt Island

State Rep. John Tobia, R-Melbourne Beach, recently expressed his opposition to Senate Bills 1400 and House Bill 851 - granting in-state tuition to undocumented students who wish to attend Florida's state colleges or universities.

Several statements in his letter are misleading.

Tobia states it is a "fallacy" these bills would increase student access to higher education. State colleges average $2,500 for a year's full-time courseload for in-state residents and $9,000 for out-of-state students, almost a $7,000 difference. At the University of Central Florida, in-state residents ...